Iran

What in the world are the Iranians thinking? After President Trump decided not to respond militarily to the rockets that the Iranians fired at U.S. bases in Iraq, it appeared that a major war had been averted. People all over the world celebrated this unexpected turn of events, and global stock markets soared. But now the Iranians are changing their tune again. Instead of “standing down”, top Iranian leaders are warning that “harsher revenge” is on the way and that there will be more attacks against U.S. forces. I think that Iran correctly perceives that Trump does not want a war, but if Trump gets pushed too far he will hit the Iranians extremely hard. And once the Iranian homeland starts getting pummeled by U.S. missiles, the Iranians will start firing some of the 200,000 missiles that they have stockpiled at Israel, and needless to say the Israelis will respond with even greater force. In other words, any escalation of this conflict at this point has the potential to spark World War 3.

So the Iranians would be wise to stop this nonsense while they still can, but apparently they have no intention of doing so.

Iran’s missile strikes on Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops were the first stage of a major regional operation aimed at expelling U.S. forces from the Middle East, the Iranian commander responsible for the attack said Thursday.

Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, who as commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard’s Aerospace Force oversees most of Iran’s missile arsenal, stopped short of threatening further concrete military action. He also said Iran hadn’t intended to kill anyone in Wednesday’s attack but only to cause material damage.

Do they actually believe that Trump will allow them to repeatedly attack our forces without responding?

If any American had been killed during the missile strikes the other night, it is quite likely that Trump would have responded already.

And when Trump acts, he likes to make a major statement.

Iran is playing a very dangerous game, and if they miscalculate just a little bit there will be disastrous consequences.

Unfortunately, they are so blinded by rage that they don’t appear to be thinking rationally. At this point, the Iranian media is reporting that the recent missile attacks were “only the beginning of the strikes”…

Tasnim News Agencyreported on Thursday that the missiles that hit U.S. interests in Iraq were only the beginning of the strikes. The deputy head of the IRGC, Ali Fadavi, described Iran’s missile attacks on US forces as a display of the Islamic Republic’s military capabilities, claiming that the Americans “couldn’t do a damn thing” about the strikes.

Many of us had been hoping that cooler heads would prevail, but at least on the Iranian side that does not appear to be happening.

And Iranian proxies are already lobbing rockets at U.S. targets. For example, on Wednesday a couple of “small rockets” were launched toward the Green Zone in Baghdad…

Small rockets hit the area in or around the Green Zone in Iraq’s capital of Baghdad late Wednesday, a day after Iran launched missiles at bases housing U.S. and other coalition forces in Iraq, American military officials said.

There was no casualties to U.S. or other coalition forces in the area, and no damage to facilities in the Green Zone, which contains the American embassy and other Western diplomatic posts, officials said.

Subsequently, there was a rocket attack on Balad Air Base in Iraq on Thursday…

Another day, another rocket (alleged) rocket attack on a US airbase in Iraq.

Al-Sumaria reports that rockets hit the Balad Air Base, about 40 miles north of Baghdad, where US troops are stationed.

The source said in an interview with Alsumaria News, “A missile, whose type was not specified, fell this evening, to the Fadlan area of ​​the Dujail district near Balad Air Base,” without giving further details.

Iranian proxies would not be doing this if they did not have permission from Tehran.

Perhaps President Trump is waiting until there are American casualties to respond, and he certainly is not eager to get the U.S. involved in a major war during an election year, but at some point his patience is going to run out.

According to reports by domestic and western media, the Israeli air force carried out an attack against an Iran-backed militia reportedly headquartered on the border between Syria and Iraq.

Tribal sources in Iraq apparently told reporters that the Israeli shelling targeted trucks and individuals associated with Iranian-backed militias near the Iraqi-Syria border. Artillery and shelling was also reported, though it’s unclear who fired those shots. The weapons are believed to have been destined for Hezbollah.

In the end, even if President Trump is absolutely determined to keep the U.S. out of a major conflict there will still be a war between Israel and Iran.

The Iranians have restarted their nuclear program, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged that Iran will never be allowed to finish it.

The clock is ticking, and Israel is going to do whatever it takes to keep the psychopaths in Iran from being able to build their own nuclear weapons.

So one way or another, war is definitely coming, and it will change all of our lives in a major way.

But many were hoping that World War 3 was at least delayed for a while after Trump showed such great restraint on Wednesday.

Unfortunately, the Iranians seem determined to press their luck, and we are all going to pay a great price for their complete and utter recklessness.

About the Author: I am a voice crying out for change in a society that generally seems content to stay asleep. My name is Michael Snyder and I am the publisher of The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe. I have written four books that are available on Amazon.com including The Beginning Of The End, Get Prepared Now, and Living A Life That Really Matters. (#CommissionsEarned) By purchasing those books you help to support my work. I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but due to government regulations I need those that republish my articles to include this “About the Author” section with each article. In order to comply with those government regulations, I need to tell you that the controversial opinions in this article are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the websites where my work is republished. This article may contain opinions on political matters, but it is not intended to promote the candidacy of any particular political candidate. The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions. Those responding to this article by making comments are solely responsible for their viewpoints, and those viewpoints do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of Michael Snyder or the operators of the websites where my work is republished. I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is a great help.

If someone else had been in the White House, this crisis could have easily turned out much differently. Sadly, most Americans have no idea that we were literally on the brink of the beginning of World War 3 this week. In fact, our population is so clueless about the rest of the world that 75 percent of all registered voters can’t even find Iran “on an unlabeled map of the globe”. We literally live in an “idiocracy” where a third of the country can’t even name a single branch of government. For most Americans, the alarming headlines about Iran will soon fade from memory, and they will just go on with their lives as if nothing really happened. But the truth is that we were right on the precipice of a cataclysmic war that could have resulted in millions upon millions of deaths. And a major war in the Middle East could still start at literally any time, but President Trump’s brave decision has at least delayed it for now.

When Iran fired more than a dozen ballistic missiles at U.S. bases in Iraq, it would have been so easy for President Trump to order an immediate military response.

But he didn’t.

Instead, he waited for an accurate damage assessment to be completed, and it turned out that no Americans had been killed or injured.

The Iranians possess very accurate weapons, and so at first a lot of people were quite puzzled by this. But then later on it started to become obvious that the Iranians “may have intentionally missed” their targets. In other words, this attack was essentially the equivalent of “a warning shot”…

Iran may have intentionally missed targets on bases in Iraq to avoid significant U.S. casualties and damage to infrastructure, according to U.S. government sources.

Iran appears to have fired the missiles into vacant areas where they were unlikely to cause significant harm, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly. The attack, the official said, was designed mainly for a domestic audience to show Iranians that the regime was responding to the killing last week of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani.

Iranian leadership had to show the Iranian people that they were “taking revenge” for the death of Soleimani.

But by choosing not to spill any American blood, they presented Donald Trump with an opportunity to walk away without escalating the conflict into a full-blown war.

Iran initiated contact through at least three back channels starting late Tuesday, including through Switzerland and other countries. There were “multiple messages and they were all the same,” a person familiar with the matter said. Iran wanted to convey their retaliatory action had ended — and was waiting to see how the US would respond.

If Hillary Clinton had been in the Oval Office during these very tense moments, we would probably be at war with Iran right now.

But Donald Trump is not Hillary Clinton.

In both of my articles yesterday, I explained that this was a golden opportunity for President Trump to avert a major war, and I was hoping that his advisers were telling him this. Since no American blood was spilled, both sides could still walk away and claim victory, and that is precisely what happened on Wedensday…

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that there would be increased sanctions but no retaliatory strikes for Iran’s ballistic missile assault on U.S. bases in Iraq. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said, “For the time being, the Americans have been given a slap,” but no other attacks were coming soon. Both sides have relaxed tensions, and the threat of war has receded.

In the end, President Trump is coming out of this looking really good. Soleimani is dead, and Iran’s “revenge” did not take a single American life.

“The state of Israel is the stable anchor in the stormy [Middle East] waters,” Netanyahu said. “We stand firm in the face of those who seek to destroy us. Anyone who tries to attack us will suffer the most overwhelming blow.”

When we get to the point where missiles are flying back and forth between Iran and Israel, nobody is going to be able to stop the madness.

In the aftermath of the events of the past two days, Franklin Graham posted the following message of gratitude to President Trump on Facebook…

Thank you Mr. President for addressing our nation today and for giving peace a chance. I’m sure there are millions of Iranians who would like to thank you too, if they could. The Islamic Republic of Iran is a dangerous government and is responsible for exporting the Islamic revolution to many countries around the world. They have also repeatedly vowed to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. I know you probably had lot of pressure from some to respond quickly and with a heavy hand; but thank you for showing restraint. A former premier of France once said, “It is far easier to make war than peace.” I also appreciate the fact that you made it clear that as long as you are president, Iran will not have a nuclear weapon. Please be assured of my prayers and those of many Christians across the country and around the world.

You know, for once it would be nice for the Democrats to also acknowledge that President Trump has done something right.

Yes, we understand that this is an election season and that the Democrats are going to look for every opportunity to criticize Trump.

But we are all Americans, and this week we were just moments away from the start of a cataclysmic war with Iran.

President Trump’s wise decision has kept us out of such a war for now, and for that he should be greatly applauded.

About the Author: I am a voice crying out for change in a society that generally seems content to stay asleep. My name is Michael Snyder and I am the publisher of The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe. I have written four books that are available on Amazon.com including The Beginning Of The End, Get Prepared Now, and Living A Life That Really Matters. (#CommissionsEarned) By purchasing those books you help to support my work. I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but due to government regulations I need those that republish my articles to include this “About the Author” section with each article. In order to comply with those government regulations, I need to tell you that the controversial opinions in this article are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the websites where my work is republished. This article may contain opinions on political matters, but it is not intended to promote the candidacy of any particular political candidate. The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions. Those responding to this article by making comments are solely responsible for their viewpoints, and those viewpoints do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of Michael Snyder or the operators of the websites where my work is republished. I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is a great help.

It certainly didn’t take long for the missiles to start flying. Just hours after Qassem Soleimani’s funeral proceedings ended, the Iranian military fired more than a dozen ballistic missiles at two U.S. bases in Iraq. President Trump will be making a statement about this attack on Wednesday, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham is calling the attack “an act of war”, and the top headline on the Drudge Report at this hour consists of just two words: “It’s War!” Of course the Iranians were already calling this conflict a “war” even before they decided to start firing missiles at us, but this definitely escalates matters.

The Iranians warned us that this was coming, but it was still absolutely stunning to see it actually play out. Ayatollah Khamenei had mandated that any retaliation must be “proportional” and carried out by the Iranian military directly, and that is precisely what happened.

And according to the Daily Mail, Khamenei “was personally in the control center coordinating the attacks”.

The good news is that the initial damage reports seem to indicate that there were no U.S. casualties. The following comes from Fox News…

Iran fired as many as 15 ballistic missiles into Iraq, targeting U.S. military and coalition forces early Wednesday, officials said, in a major retaliation by the rogue regime after the U.S. airstrike that killed Iranian Quds Force Gen. Qassem Soleimani last week.

Ten missiles hit Al-Assad Air Base, one missile hit a military base in Erbil and four missiles failed to hit their targets, according to a U.S. military spokesman for Central Command, responsible for American forces in the Middle East. The attacks unfolded in two waves, each about an hour apart.

Initial assessments showed “no U.S. casualties,” a U.S. military official in Baghdad told Fox News.

A US official told CNN that there were no initial reports of any US casualties, but an assessment of the impact of the strikes is underway. A preliminary report from an Iraqi security source indicated there were Iraqi casualties, but Iraqi security officials later told CNN there were no casualties among Iraqi security forces.

There are casualties among the Iraqis at al-Asad airbase following the attack, an Iraqi security source tells CNN. The number of casualties and whether the individuals were killed or wounded were not immediately clear.

When news of these missile strikes originally broke, just about everyone assumed that Trump would soon hit back really hard.

But if it is true that no Americans were killed or wounded, that gives Trump a potential way out.

Iran’s foreign minister @JZarif says Iran’s response was proportional and does not want this to escalate. State media are reporting that senior officials in country won’t launch anymore attacks as long as America does not attack.

Trump could decide that taking out Soleimani without losing a single American life is a pretty good trade and walk away from this conflict. He could simply declare victory and start focusing on the upcoming election in November.

Of course that is probably not likely. There will almost certainly be some sort of U.S. response, and the Iranians are already promising to escalate the conflict even further if that happens…

In a statement, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, an elite wing of the Iranian military that is also known as the IRGC, said the attacks were “hard revenge” for the death of Soleimani. The IRGC said in the statement that any country housing US troops could be subject to “hostile and aggressive acts” and called on American citizens to demand the government remove US troops from the region.

“To the Great Satan … we warn that if you repeat your wickedness or take any additional movements or make additional aggression, we will respond with more painful and crushing responses,” the statement to the US read.

And without a doubt, the war hawks in Washington will be pushing for the Trump administration to hit Iran with overwhelming force.

On Fox News, Senator Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., stated that he “just got off the phone” with Trump about the situation and that if Iran continues “this crap” they are “going to wake up one day out of the oil business.”

“This was an act of war, Sean, by any reasonable definition,” Graham continued, before declaring that “the President has all the authority he needs under Article II to respond. How he responds is yet to be determined.”

And earlier on Tuesday, U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper told CNN that the U.S. is prepared to “finish” a war if Iran starts one…

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper told CNN Tuesday that the US is not seeking a war with Iran but it is “prepared to finish one.” He also said the US is not withdrawing troops from Iraq following a weekend vote by Iraq’s parliament to expel American forces.

Hopefully cooler heads will prevail.

Perhaps the Iranians were simply incompetent, or maybe it is even possible that they fired at areas of those bases that were not occupied by Americans on purpose, but in any case the fact that there were no U.S. casualties gives everyone a chance to save face and avoid war at the same time.

The 600 mostly young soldiers at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, were headed for the Middle East, part of a group of some 3,500 U.S. paratroopers ordered to the region. Kuwait is the first stop for many. Their final destinations are classified.

“We’re going to war, bro,” one cheered, holding two thumbs up and sporting a grin under close-shorn red hair. He stood among dozens of soldiers loading trucks outside a cinder-block building housing several auditoriums with long benches and tables.

Sadly, if there is a full-blown war many of those troops may never come home again.

We are so close to a cataclysmic conflict with Iran, and it would be far more nightmarish than any other war in the post-World War 2 era.

But at this moment there is a slight chance that it can be averted, and let us pray that President Trump makes the right decisions.

About the Author: I am a voice crying out for change in a society that generally seems content to stay asleep. My name is Michael Snyder and I am the publisher of The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe. I have written four books that are available on Amazon.com including The Beginning Of The End, Get Prepared Now, and Living A Life That Really Matters. (#CommissionsEarned) By purchasing those books you help to support my work. I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but due to government regulations I need those that republish my articles to include this “About the Author” section with each article. In order to comply with those government regulations, I need to tell you that the controversial opinions in this article are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the websites where my work is republished. This article may contain opinions on political matters, but it is not intended to promote the candidacy of any particular political candidate. The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions. Those responding to this article by making comments are solely responsible for their viewpoints, and those viewpoints do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of Michael Snyder or the operators of the websites where my work is republished. I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is a great help.

Whether you want it or not, the war with Iran has already begun. It is kind of sad that the pundits on our cable news channels are so clueless about what has happened. They seem to think that there is still a debate about whether we will go to war with Iran or not, but meanwhile the Iranians believe that the war has already started. Of course most Americans don’t want such a war, and President Trump didn’t intend to start one, but we now have one nonetheless. Over the past few days, vast hordes of Iranians mourning the death of Qassem Soleimani have been literally screaming for “war” and “revenge” at the top of their lungs. And as you will see below, the top military adviser to Ayatollah Khamenei just told CNN that our two nations are already at war. So it isn’t our decision to make. The Iranians are going to be shooting at us whether we shoot back or not.

Perhaps you think that I am exaggerating.

Well, I would like for you to consider some of the statements that Major General Hossein Dehghan made during an exclusive interview with CNN. Dehghan is the top military adviser to Ayatollah Khamenei, and he is promising that Iran will soon “take direct action against America”…

“It might be argued that there could be proxy operations. We can say America, Mr. Trump, has taken action directly against us — so we take direct action against America.”

In common with other Iranian officials, Dehghan suggested that Iran was in no hurry to retaliate and would choose its targets carefully. “Our reaction will be wise, well considered and in time, with decisive deterrent effect.”

But just because Iran plans to hit us back really hard does not mean that a war has begun.

“The only thing that can end this period of war is for the Americans to receive a blow that is equal to the blow they have inflicted. Afterward they should not seek a new cycle.”

The Iranians clearly believe that a “period of war” has already started.

And we are being told that the only way for this “period of war” to end is for Iran to inflict a blow upon us that is equal to the blow that we inflicted on them.

So what would be equal to the loss of Qassem Soleimani in the eyes of the Iranians?

Soleimani was one of the greatest heroes in the modern history of Iran, and hundreds of thousands of mourners have poured into the streets over the past couple of days to express their grief…

Crowds mourning the death of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani continued to flood the streets of the capital as his funeral procession dragged into the night.

Earlier in the day hundreds of thousands of people swamped central Tehran to express their outpouring of grief at the death of the revered leader of the elite Quds Force, who was assassinated in a US drone strike in Iraq on Friday.

After following his casket through the capital, Soleimani’s body was transported to the holy city of Qom where a ceremony at Masumeh shrine will be held ahead of his burial in his hometown tomorrow.

It is going to take a great deal for the Iranians to feel that they have extracted sufficient vengeance. And Dehghan foreshadowed what may be coming when he made this statement to CNN…

“No American military staff, no American political center, no American military base, no American vessel will be safe.”

Esmail Ghaani, who has replaced Qassem Soleimani as head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s elite Quds Force, has warned the US that Iran will retaliate to last week’s drone attack. He told Iranian state television that “God the Almighty has promised to get his revenge” for the killing of Mr Soleimani. The newly appointed chief said that actions would “certainly” be taken.

Mr Ghaani also pledged to “continue down martyr Soleimani’s path”, after US officials claimed they assassinated the Iranian general because intelligence showed he was plotting “imminent attacks” on US officials.

Even more ominously, the New York Times is reporting that Ayatollah Khamenei himself has mandated that American interests must be attacked directly by Iranian forces…

In the tense hours following the American killing of a top Iranian military commander, the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, made a rare appearance at a meeting of the government’s National Security Council to lay down the parameters for any retaliation. It must be a direct and proportional attack on American interests, he said, openly carried out by Iranian forces themselves, three Iranians familiar with the meeting said Monday.

Of course most Americans absolutely do not want a war with Iran.

In fact, I would guess that probably about two-thirds of all U.S. citizens will be against a war with Iran when a national survey is taken.

But that doesn’t matter to the Iranians. They are going to start shooting at us, and they want to make us hurt as much as possible.

Iranian MP Abolfazl Abutorabi has reportedly threatened to attack the White House in response to a message from President Trump that promised severe consequences if the Islamic nation escalates hostilities with the U.S.

Abutorabi was responding to a question about how Iran should react to the death of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani during an American airstrike, The Independent reported.

“We can attack the White House itself, we can respond to them on the American soil. We have the power, and God willing we will respond in an appropriate time,” Abutorabi said according to the UK publication, which cited Iranian news agency ILNA.

So you can debate about whether there will be a war or not all you want, but the truth is that everyone should really be trying to figure out how to end the war that has already started.

And at this point, I don’t know if anything can be done to stop events from spinning wildly out of control. Every time Iran hits us, Trump is going to hit them back even harder, and neither side is going to back down any time soon.

At this hour, more U.S. troops are headed to the Middle East. In addition to the deployment of thousands of troops from the 82nd Airborne Division, a couple thousand Marines with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit have been diverted to the Middle East…

Marines with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) will now head to Iraq aboard the USS Bataan (LHD-5) amphibious assault ship to join other U.S. troops recently called upon to bolster security measures and military readiness in the country, according to USNI News.

According to the USNI Fleet Tracker, the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group had just arrived off the coast of Morocco this week as tensions have risen with Iran. The Marines aboard had planned to train with Moroccan military members, as part of the joint Exercise African Sea Lion, before the apparent change in plans.

Even more importantly, six B-52 bombers have just been deployed to Diego Garcia…

The U.S. Air Force is deploying six B-52 bombers to Diego Garcia, an island base in the Indian Ocean, amid the rising threat of Iran retaliating after a U.S.-led airstrike killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

The move, which was first reported by CNN, is the latest in efforts by U.S. military officials to bolster resources near the Middle East after the Iraqi Shia militia Kataib Hezbollah hinted at possible retaliatory attacks to avenge Soleimani’s death.

I wish that it wasn’t true, but war is here.

Will this conflict eventually evolve into World War 3, or can we still be pulled back from the brink somehow?

Only time will tell, but I would definitely encourage everyone to get prepared for a worst case scenario.

About the Author: I am a voice crying out for change in a society that generally seems content to stay asleep. My name is Michael Snyder and I am the publisher of The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe. I have written four books that are available on Amazon.com including The Beginning Of The End, Get Prepared Now, and Living A Life That Really Matters. (#CommissionsEarned) By purchasing those books you help to support my work. I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but due to government regulations I need those that republish my articles to include this “About the Author” section with each article. In order to comply with those government regulations, I need to tell you that the controversial opinions in this article are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the websites where my work is republished. This article may contain opinions on political matters, but it is not intended to promote the candidacy of any particular political candidate. The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions. Those responding to this article by making comments are solely responsible for their viewpoints, and those viewpoints do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of Michael Snyder or the operators of the websites where my work is republished. I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is a great help.

For the first time ever, a blood red flag is being flown over the famous Jamkaran Mosque in the Iranian “holy city” of Qom. If you have not see it yet, you can watch it being raised right here. And as I will explain below, the fact that this mosque is directly associated with the Mahdi makes this symbolic gesture doubly significant. The hoisting of this flag was broadcast on Iranian state television, and it was obviously intended to send a message to Shiites all over the globe. So precisely what was that message? Well, we are being told that according to Shiite tradition a red flag represents both “blood spilled unjustly” and a call for revenge…

Red flags in Shiite tradition symbolise both blood spilled unjustly and serve as a call to avenge a person who is slain.

It is the first time in history that the red flag has been hoisted on top of the Jamkaran mosque in the Iranian city and comes after warnings of harsh retaliation against the US.

Red flags have also been spotted flying at anti-U.S. demonstrations in Tehran over the past few days.

Clearly, the Iranians want blood. They will never, ever forgive us for the killing of Qassem Soleimani, and their faith requires that he be avenged.

The flag, inscribed with the words “Those who want to avenge the blood of Hussein,” was hoisted above the mosque’s shrine for what local reports claimed was the first time in history, according to the Daily Mail.

The grandson of Muhammad, Hussein was decapitated in A.D. 680 during the Second Islamic Civil War, when Muslims were fighting over who was the proper successor to their prophet. The act was met with bloody retaliation from Muslims who considered Hussein’s death unjust and sought to avenge him.

Obviously the Iranians are viewing this as something much bigger than simply extracting sufficient revenge for the death of a deeply loved national leader.

Rather, they seem to be using this moment as a call to wage jihad against all of the enemies of Shia Islam.

And as I mentioned above, the fact that this flag was raised over this particular mosque is a very big deal.

The Jamarkaran Mosque is considered to be one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam, and it is also associated with the future reappearance of the Mahdi. In fact, as the flag was being hoisted there was a direct reference to the Mahdi…

As the flag was raised in Qom, the mosque speakers called, ‘O Allah, hasten your custodian reappearance,’ a reference to the end-times reappearance of the Mahdi.

In Iran today, most of the national leaders believe that the 12th imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, was born in Iraq in 869 and never died. Just before judgement day, the Mahdi is supposed to reappear along with Jesus during a time of war and chaos “to bring peace to the world and establish Islam as the ruling faith across the globe”. It is also commonly believed that the Mahdi is coming very soon, and so that explains why so many top Iranians seem to relish the thought that war could be coming. They need war to come first in order for the Mahdi to appear, and since the Mahdi is supposed to return during the coming apocalyptic war and establish Shia Islam as the faith of the entire planet, they aren’t exactly too concerned about the threats that President Trump is making.

It is so important to understand the mindset of these radical Shiites.

If they die as martyrs, they will be rewarded as such in the afterlife.

If they live through the coming holy war, they will get to see the coming of the Mahdi, and they will help to institute the global rule of Shia Islam.

So in either case, they believe that they can’t lose.

At this point, what they want is blood. In fact, even the daughter of Qassem Soleimani is asking for vengeance. Just check out what she just asked Iranian President Hassan Rouhani…

‘Who is going to avenge my father’s blood?’ One of the commander’s daughters asked.

In response, Rouhani promised her that ‘everyone will take revenge’ and assured her as she wept, ‘we will, we will avenge his blood, you don’t worry.’

There is no question that Iran is going to strike back.

And it won’t just be a one time deal. They are going to hit us repeatedly, and they have already identified 35 potential targets…

IRAN today pinpointed 35 “key US targets” for revenge after its top general was assassinated – with America expecting retaliation “within weeks”.

Hours later, rockets were fired near the US Embassy in Baghdad and at an airbase housing American troops, according to reports.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have to wait long for the violence to begin. In fact, the Green Zone in Baghdad has been targeted by rockets for two days in a row…

A total of six Katyusha rockets — three inside the Green Zone and three in the nearby Jadriya area — hit Baghdad, according to a statement by Iraq’s military, as Reuters reported.

Of course President Trump is not going to put up with this, and he has warned the Iranians that he has identified 52 Iranian targets that could potentially be hit…

Showing no signs of seeking to ease tensions raised by the strike he ordered that killed Soleimani and Iranian-backed Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis at Baghdad airport on Friday, Trump issued a threat to Iran on Twitter. The strike has raised the specter of wider conflict in the Middle East.

Iran, Trump wrote, “is talking very boldly about targeting certain USA assets” in revenge for Soleimani’s death. Trump said the United States has “targeted 52 Iranian sites” and that some were “at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture, and those targets, and Iran itself, WILL BE HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD.”

Following that tweet, many on the left harshly criticized Trump for potentially targeting cultural sites, but Trump subsequently doubled down on that threat…

“They’re allowed to kill our people, they’re allowed to torture and maim our people, they’re allowed to use roadside bombs and blow up our people and we’re not allowed to touch their cultural site? It doesn’t work that way,” Trump told reporters.

“If they do anything there will be major retaliation.”

Does anyone see a way that war with Iran can be avoided at this point?

Because I certainly don’t.

The Trump administration and the Iranians will both keep escalating things until a full-blown cataclysmic war erupts in the Middle East, and it will be a war that will inevitably involve Israel as well. This Middle East war will greatly accelerate the development of “the perfect storm” that I keep talking about, and none of our lives will ever be the same again.

Those that think that this is a crisis that will blow over in a few days or a few weeks are not being rational.

Esmail Ghaani, the successor to slain Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, threatened the US Friday following his appointment to head the Revolutionary Guards’ foreign operations arm.

“Be patient, and you will see the bodies of Americans all over the Middle East,” Ghaani said.

There is no stopping this now.

War is coming, and the death and destruction it will bring will shock the entire planet.

About the Author: I am a voice crying out for change in a society that generally seems content to stay asleep. My name is Michael Snyder and I am the publisher of The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe. I have written four books that are available on Amazon.com including The Beginning Of The End, Get Prepared Now, and Living A Life That Really Matters. (#CommissionsEarned) By purchasing those books you help to support my work. I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but due to government regulations I need those that republish my articles to include this “About the Author” section with each article. In order to comply with those government regulations, I need to tell you that the controversial opinions in this article are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the websites where my work is republished. This article may contain opinions on political matters, but it is not intended to promote the candidacy of any particular political candidate. The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions. Those responding to this article by making comments are solely responsible for their viewpoints, and those viewpoints do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of Michael Snyder or the operators of the websites where my work is republished. I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is a great help.

The world is most definitely a better place without Iranian military chief Qassem Soleimani. He was a butcher, a murderer and a despised international terrorist. All over the globe, people are celebrating his death, but without a doubt this also brings us much closer to a cataclysmic war with Iran. In fact, as you will see below, the phrase “World War 3” is now trending on Google and Twitter. Soleimani was the second most important person in Iran, and he was a greatly cherished national hero. His death has absolutely enraged the Iranians, and they are already vowing revenge.

Of course many top Democrats are already strongly criticizing President Trump for ordering the strike that killed Soleimani, but what was Trump supposed to do? According to NBC News, Soleimani was actively plotting more attacks against American targets…

Planned attacks against American military, diplomatic and financial targets in Lebanon and Syria comprised the imminent threat cited by U.S. officials as the reason President Donald Trump ordered the killing of top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani, multiple U.S. officials said Friday.

“When we start seeing extensive and very solid intelligence that [Soleimani] is plotting imminent attacks against the United States, the president as commander in chief has a duty to take decisive action,” said a senior State Department official speaking on condition of anonymity. “If we had not taken this action, and hundreds of Americans were dead, you would be asking me why didn’t you take out Soleimani when you have the chance.”

Was Trump supposed to just sit there and allow the Iranians to kill hundreds or even thousands of Americans?

And the truth is that Soleimani has been behind attacks on U.S. forces all the way back to 2003. The following comes from a USA Today editorial…

The criticism that this move was escalatory ignores the fact that Iran has been escalating conflict in the Middle East for years. Iran supports insurgent and militia groups in Yemen, Afghanistan, Gaza, Lebanon and Syria, among others. Iran, using Soleimani’s Quds Force as its spearhead, was responsible for more than 600 American deaths in Iraq from 2003 to 2011, 17% of all U.S. dead in that conflict. President George W. Bush’s administration never adequately made Tehran pay, and the Obama administration was more interested in paying Tehran.

If he would have been left alive, a lot more Americans would have died.

In brief remarks at his Mar-a-Lago resort in south Florida, Trump said Soleimani, who commanded Iran’s Quds Force, had been caught “in the act” planning “imminent and sinister attacks on American diplomats and military personnel.”

“We caught him in the act and terminated him,” Trump said in a brief address. “His reign of terror is over.”

So that is the good news.

The bad news is that the Iranians are vowing “severe revenge”, and that means that a major war in the Middle East is almost a certainty.

Years of sincere, brave efforts fighting against the devils& villainous in the world & yrs of wishing for martyrdom on the path of God finally took the dear Commander of Islam, Soleimani, to this lofty status. His blood was shed by the most barbaric of men.

We congratulate Imam Mahdi (‘a.j.) & Soleimani’s pure soul& condole the Iranian nation on this great martyrdom. He was an eminent example of a person trained in Islam. He spent all his life in struggling for God. Martyrdom was the reward for his tireless efforts over the years.

His efforts & path won’t be stopped by his martyrdom, by God’s Power, rather a #SevereRevenge awaits the criminals who have stained their hands with his & the other martyrs’ blood last night. Martyr Soleimani is an Intl figure of Resistance & all such people will seek revenge.

All friends – & enemies – know that Jihad of Resistance will continue with more motivation & definite victory awaits the fighters on this blessed path. The loss of our dear General is bitter. The continuing fight & ultimate victory will be more bitter for the murderers & criminals.

The Iranian nation will honor the memory of the noble Major-General Soleimani & the martyrs with him – particularly the great Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis – & I declare 3 days of mourning across the nation. I condole & congratulate his family.

CBS News senior national security contributor, and former acting and deputy CIA director Michael Morell told “CBS This Morning” the drone strike on Soleimani will lead to “dead civilian Americans.”

“Soleimani was an evil genius, he had a lot of American blood on his hands,” Morell said. “The world is a better place without him. The problem is that comes at a very high cost. Number one, there will be dead Americans, dead civilian Americans, as a result of this. Possibly over the next few days in any place where Iran has its proxies, Iraq is the most likely place, but also Lebanon, Bahrain, other places in the Middle East.”

Of course President Trump will respond to any Iranian attack by hitting back even harder, and the escalations will just continue until missiles start flying back and forth.

Needless to say, the Israelis are monitoring these developments very closely, because they definitely understand that they would be attacked if a major war breaks out. In fact, Iran may decide that one of the best ways to take revenge is to have their proxies start firing missiles into Israeli territory…

But Israel Army Radio said the military had gone on heightened alert, amid fears that Iran could strike through its regional allies such as Tehran-backed Lebanese movement Hezbollah to the north, or through Palestinian militant group Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza.

“They will wait for the right moment to exact revenge, perhaps by firing into Israeli territory through Shiite militias in Syria and perhaps even from Gaza,” Ron Ben-Yishai, a commentator for Israeli news outlet Ynet, wrote on its website.

The coming days are going to be chaotic and unpredictable.

But what is now clear to everyone is that we are now closer to World War 3 breaking out in the Middle East than we have ever been before.

Many of those tweeting about the airstrike used memes to bring light to the situation, joking about fears it could spark ‘World War 3’ – a phrase now trending on Twitter.

Searches for ‘World War 3’ also spiked on Google within hours of the airstrike in Iraq overnight.

Google Trends recorded ‘Iran’ as the second most searched term in the United States, with more than 500,000 searches for the topic.

President Trump is not going to back down.

So the only way that we aren’t going to have a war is if the Iranians back down, and I don’t see that happening.

These are the times that so many of us have been warning about, and all of our lives are about to change in a major way.

War is coming, and the entire globe is going to feel the pain of this conflict.

About the Author: I am a voice crying out for change in a society that generally seems content to stay asleep. My name is Michael Snyder and I am the publisher of The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe. I have written four books that are available on Amazon.com including The Beginning Of The End, Get Prepared Now, and Living A Life That Really Matters. (#CommissionsEarned) By purchasing those books you help to support my work. I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but due to government regulations I need those that republish my articles to include this “About the Author” section with each article. In order to comply with those government regulations, I need to tell you that the controversial opinions in this article are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the websites where my work is republished. This article may contain opinions on political matters, but it is not intended to promote the candidacy of any particular political candidate. The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions. Those responding to this article by making comments are solely responsible for their viewpoints, and those viewpoints do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of Michael Snyder or the operators of the websites where my work is republished. I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is a great help.

We just witnessed one of the most important deaths in the Middle East in decades. Just hours ago, President Trump ordered the drone strike on Baghdad International Airport that killed Iranian Major General Qassim Suleimani and several other key officials. Suleimani was the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Quds Force, but even more importantly he was a huge national hero in Iran. To describe this killing as “seismic” would not do it justice. U.S. Senator Chris Murphy says that Suleimani was “the second most powerful person in Iran”, and elsewhere he is being described as “the most influential Middle East military official for decades”. This is a major victory for President Trump and the U.S. military, but it also makes it much, much less likely that we are going to be able to avoid a full-blown war with Iran.

Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy commander of the Popular Mobilization Forces, was also killed in the strike. But it is Suleimani’s death that changes everything. In the U.S., our generals are not national celebrities, but in Iran Suleimani was one of the most recognizable faces in the entire country. In fact, he was so deeply loved that Iranian state television literally interrupted their programming to announce his death…

In Iran, state television interrupted its programing to announce General Suleimani’s death.

The news anchor recited the Islamic prayer for the dead — “From God we came and to God we return” — beside a picture of General Suleimani.

For more than two decades, Suleimani has essentially been running the show for Iran in the Middle East. If you doubt this, just check out the message that he sent to U.S. General David Petraeus in 2008…

In 2008, Soleimani wrote in a letter to David Petraeus, “Dear General Petraeus: You should be aware that I, Qassem Soleimani, control Iran’s policy for Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, and Afghanistan.”

Of course since 2008 Suleimani became even more powerful both inside and outside of Iran. He was the one at the top of the food chain giving Iran’s proxies their marching orders, and there is no way that the U.S. embassy would have been attacked earlier this week without his direct approval.

So Trump definitely picked a target that was directly responsible for the damage to our embassy, but what happens next?

Ultimately, that is going to be up to Iran.

The Iranians could put their tails between their legs and cower in fear now that this has happened, but that probably isn’t likely.

It would be difficult to put into words the extreme rage that the Iranians are feeling right now. Their deeply hated enemy, the United States, has just killed a greatly beloved national hero. They are going to want revenge, and they are going to want it to be as painful as possible.

Needless to say, there will probably be attacks against U.S. targets in the region, and Defense Secretary Mark Esper has stated that the U.S. military may even take “pre-emptive action” to prevent that from happening…

“There are some indications out there that they may be planning additional attacks. That’s nothing new,” Esper said. “If that happens, then we will act and, by the way, if we get word of an attack of some kind of indication, we would take pre-emptive action as well to protect American forces, American lives — the game has changed.”

Beyond that, the Iranians may decide that an “eye for an eye” approach is justified in this case.

In other words, now that we have killed one of their key leaders, they may decide to kill one or more of our key leaders.

As I have previously detailed, Hezbollah is the strongest and most well funded terror organization on the entire planet. They have a very strong presence in North America, and they certainly have the capability to strike just about anywhere on U.S. soil.

If I was a prominent military official, a member of Congress or a top politician, I would be carefully “watching my six” in the coming days.

Some members of Congress are already realizing the implications of what just happened. For example, here is what U.S. Senator Cory Gardner just said…

Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo.. a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, applauded the Trump administration’s decision to target Soleimani. But, he added, “I now urge the administration to be prepared for possible retaliation, including against U.S. troops stationed in the region, and to consult closely with Congress on any next steps should the situation escalate.”

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut Democrat and member of the Armed Services Committee, said the attack that killed Soleimani could trigger a major military escalation with Iran.

“There’s no question Soleimani had American blood on his hands,” Blumenthal said Thursday night. “He was an enemy. But this step could lead to the most consequential military confrontation in decades.”

In 1914, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the spark that started World War 1.

Could it be possible that we just witnessed the spark that will start World War 3?

The first wave of hundreds of U.S. Army paratroopers from a rapid reaction force has deployed to Kuwait in response to the assault on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad by pro-Iran militiamen, with thousands more soldiers on alert for snap deployment.

These are the days of “the perfect storm”, and many are anticipating that 2020 will be the most tumultuous year in modern history.

By killing Suleimani, Trump has essentially “crossed the Rubicon”, and there will be no going back.

So now it is up to Iran to make the next move.

They can roll over and give up now that Suleimani is dead, or they can choose to escalate matters even further and push the entire region to the brink of war.

About the Author: I am a voice crying out for change in a society that generally seems content to stay asleep. My name is Michael Snyder and I am the publisher of The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe. I have written four books that are available on Amazon.com including The Beginning Of The End, Get Prepared Now, and Living A Life That Really Matters. (#CommissionsEarned) By purchasing those books you help to support my work. I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but due to government regulations I need those that republish my articles to include this “About the Author” section with each article. In order to comply with those government regulations, I need to tell you that the controversial opinions in this article are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the websites where my work is republished. This article may contain opinions on political matters, but it is not intended to promote the candidacy of any particular political candidate. The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions. Those responding to this article by making comments are solely responsible for their viewpoints, and those viewpoints do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of Michael Snyder or the operators of the websites where my work is republished. I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is a great help.